News on the topic: freedom of peaceful assembly
06.07.2020 Amnesty International calls to release veteran activist Pavel Seviarynets
Amnesty International has launched an urgent action forcing the Belarusian authorities to release known opposition activist Pavel Seviarynets who is reportedly ill-treated while serving 75 days of administrative detention.
26.06.2020 Four critical bloggers charged in Tsikhanouski case
Four bloggers known for their criticism of the current government have been charged under Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (group actions that grossly disturb public order) and are facing up to three years in prison
24.06.2020 HRHF: Crackdown by Belarusian Authorities on Opposition Figures, Peaceful Protesters, and Journalists
Human Rights House Foundation strongly condemns the actions in recent days of the Belarusian authorities to violently suppress peaceful protests, silence independent journalists, and intimidate members of the political opposition. These actions represent gross violations of the fundamental freedoms of association, assembly, and expression and attacks on human rights defenders.
23.06.2020 Viasna activist sentenced to short prison term in Babrujsk
Siarzhuk Latsinski, Viasna’s activist in Babrujsk, has been sentenced to 10 days of administrative detention on charges of involvement in a protest staged on June 19.
22.06.2020 Over 200 peaceful protesters, journalists, rights defenders detained across Belarus
Some 200 peaceful protesters, as well as reporters and human rights defenders, were detained by the police over the weekend, as thousands of people protested the arrest of presidential nominee Viktar Babaryka and his son Eduard.
18.06.2020 Violence, threats, detentions. Human rights activists complain to UN special rapporteurs
The Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center "Viasna" have written to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and a number of UN thematic rapporteurs asking them to take all appropriate measures to assist in improving the current human rights situation in Belarus and also in securing fair and democratic elections.
09.06.2020 Siarhei Tsikhanouski and supporters face formal charges
Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a known vlogger and campaign chief of his wife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s nomination group, has been officially charged under Part 1, Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (organizing group actions that grossly violate public order and are associated with obvious disobedience to the lawful demands of the authorities or have caused disruption of the activities of public transport, enterprises, institutions or organizations, or active participation in such actions in the absence of signs of a more serious crime).
25.05.2020 HRW denounces 'wave of arrests' in Belarus as elections loom
Belarus has intensified its crackdown on independent activists and journalists with a "new wave of arbitrary arrests" ahead of presidential elections, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.
15.05.2020 Key national human rights groups call to end persecution of peaceful protesters, journalists and defenders
In May 2020, the Belarusian authorities began widespread repression against the country’s civil society. More than 120 people were arbitrarily arrested and sentenced to fines and terms of detention across Belarus. The human rights community of Belarus demands an end to the persecution of peaceful demonstrators, human rights activists and journalists and the release of those serving their sentences.
13.05.2020 Crackdown on Peaceful Protesters Mars Beginning of Presidential Campaign Season
The campaign season for Belarus’ presidential elections, scheduled for August 9, saw sweeping repression against civil society by authorities. Over the past week, authorities arbitrarily detained over 100 peaceful protesters across Belarus, charging them with administrative fines and arrests.
12.05.2020 Human rights defenders, protesters convicted across Belarus
Several human rights defenders and opposition activists have been sentenced to short terms of detention or fined following trials held today in various parts of Belarus. These include Viasna’s activists Aliaksandr Burakou in Mahilioŭ and Uladzimir Vialichkin in Brest.
11.05.2020 120 people affected by new crackdown on peaceful protesters
The Human Rights Center “Viasna” is aware of at least 120 new cases of persecution targeting peaceful protesters documented since May 6, after police arrested critical vlogger Siarhei Tsikhanouski in Mahilioŭ.
02.05.2020 Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders stands up for jailed Brest activists
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Belarus.
24.04.2020 Viasna calls to suspend administrative detention during COVID-19 pandemic
Under the conditions of the pandemic declared by the World Health Organization, it is incumbent on the Belarusian authorities to take immediate steps to prevent the spread of the virus among the categories of people most at risk of infection: low-income and homeless persons, alcohol abusers and prisoners.
07.02.2020 Amnesty International urges Belarus to end repression against peaceful protestors
Amnesty International strongly condemns the current clampdown on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Belarus. The statement comes in response to reports from local human rights defenders claiming that over 150 people have been prosecuted and fined on “illegal protesting” charges, following their peaceful participation in protests in November and December 2019.
